Page 20 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

“Can I see them?”

“Absolutely,” Holt promised. “When the weather warms up, I’ll show you everything—if it’s okay with your mama.”

His easy way with Luna only deepened my confusion. After Remi, I’d sworn off anyone connected to the music industry. In my experience, they were all players and narcissists who focused only on themselves. But Holt seemed genuinely caring, almost protective of us both, which made no sense. We were practically strangers.

Yet I couldn’t deny the pull between us—the way my body responded when he was near, the relief I’d felt when he appeared at the hospital. None of it made sense. Especially the comfort I’d felt when he held me in his arms after I’d broken down in the parking lot.

I took a deep breath, deciding not to spoil Christmas by overthinking everything. Luna deserved this day, this experience. She’d been through enough already without my paranoia casting a shadow over it.

I consciously relaxed my shoulders and loosened my grip on the door handle.

Holt smiled.

“What?” I asked.

“That’s better,” he replied, eyes back on the road.

Of course he’d noticed. The man didn’t miss a thing.

The Roaring ForkRanch sprawled across the valley, the main house rising from the snow like something from a movie. The large, rustic log structure with a wraparound porch gleamed with the Christmas lights strung along every eave. Smoke curled from multiple chimneys, and several vehicles were already parked in the circular drive.

“Wow,” Luna whispered from her booster seat.

“Home sweet home,” Holt said with an edge to his voice that made me wonder.

He parked beside a silver SUV and turned off the engine. “Ready?”

Luna was already unbuckling her seat belt. “I am!”

The front door swung open before we reached it, and Holt’s sister, Flynn, stepped out. Her smile warm and welcoming despite the cold.

“I remember you from the other night,” I replied, gazing into blue eyes like her brother’s. “This is Luna.”

Flynn knelt down to her level. “Hello, there! We’re so excited you came to spend Christmas with us. There are some other kids inside, who can’t wait to meet you.”

Luna beamed, her shyness forgotten in the face of Flynn’s warmth.

The interior of the ranch house was even more impressive than the exterior—soaring ceilings with exposed beams, a massive stone fireplace, and tasteful, comfortable furniture that looked both expensive and lived-in. A towering Christmas tree dominated one corner of the great room, surrounded by so manywrapped gifts that I wondered if they’d bought out every store in the state.

Sam and Juni emerged from the kitchen together.

“Keltie! You made it!” Sam hurried over, embracing me like we were old friends rather than newly discovered cousins.

Juni gave me a quick hug. “I’m so glad you could come. We’ve heard so much about Luna.”

“You have?” I asked, surprised.

Sam’s eyes twinkled. “Holt may have mentioned her once or twice.”

I felt a blush creep up my neck and busied myself unwinding Luna’s scarf.

TJ approached, carrying a toddler on her hip. “Great to see you again, Keltie. This little monster is Buckaroo.”

The boy waved shyly at Luna, his chubby fingers wiggling. “Hi,” he said, his face partially hidden against his mother’s shoulder.

“Paxon and Rooker are excited to have another playmate,” TJ said, nodding toward the twins. “They’ve been jabbering about ‘new friend’ all morning.”

“Welcome to the madhouse,” Irish, Flynn’s husband, said with a grin from the living room, where he was supervising the twins.

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